Kaka

With a bit of exaggeration, you could say of this colossal film it is about the USSR fighting the Arabs for oil and the Americans pulling the strings. Dune: Part Two is the pinnacle of modern big screen in every way. From the engaging storytelling, to the sound design, the fantastic sets, the visual effects, the sound and Hans Zimmer's beauty. Hands down, this a brilliant job by the filmmakers and the actors. A monumental epic that for years was considered unfilmable has succeeded for the second time. Everybody says it can't be done, until somebody does it. And that somebody is Denis Villeneuve. The event of the year – the riding of the worm and the duel between Chalamet and Butler are absolute cinematic delights. And the whiners who will complain about the final third and who knows what else are not worth addressing.

Delightfully deranged madness that you'll forgive most of its ills, like the fact that it doesn't make any sense at all. Skull Island may be far from surpassed in its imaginative visuals and original retro atmosphere, but Godzilla x Kong takes itself far less seriously than previous films in the Godzilla multiverse, so all bad things are forgiven. As an absolute no-brainer, it's easily watchable.

Doug Liman off the chain. A decently executed summer testosterone romp that's funny and manages to mix humour, self-parody and action, with a backdrop of the sun-drenched Keys at its back. A worthy remake to the awful original, plus an ensemble cast that has resuscitated Jake Gyllenhaal's action career (all honours to his physical form), and discovered the acting, or rather comedic, potential of Conor McGregor. It's a shame about some of the appallingly handled digital shots and botched editing, but within the context of an action flush with no higher ambitions, relative satisfaction.

The Japanese version of Game of Thrones. Only instead of seedy pubs, profanity, tons of coitus and chivalrous jousting in an alternative European medieval setting, there's sake at five o'clock, views into the carefully cultivated gardens of Japanese dwellings and pagodas, and everything the viewer touches is more refined and pretty. If The Last Samurai, for example, was 70 per cent Hollywood boilerplate and 30 per cent reverent homage to refined Japanese culture, Shogun is the opposite. We don't see many spectacular action scenes, nor a classic Western narrative with a fierce finale. This Japanese insight into the world of the samurai flows slowly, sensitively, and takes great care to build atmosphere and develop the characters, their thoughts and motivations. Shogun isn't meant to be epic because of how many battles there are, or how fiercely it fights, but because of how powerful a story it conveys and the compelling bond that forms between the main characters. And I enjoyed this idiosyncratic, thought-provoking, moodily coherent, fragile mosaic, supported by fantastic production design and great actors. Despite the tepid pace, I rate it highly, because there are damn few such contributions to cinema. The First Samurai.

Kenneth Branagh continues with the same, generic whodunit that is a carbon copy of the previous one. Only instead of the sunny Nile Delta with its often overly digital Pyramids, we have mysterious Venice, specifically a gothic house full of strange sounds and untold secrets. Not a single moment is remarkable, not a single shot or sequence of events unpredictable. At least it is briskly told and with a few wannabe horror moments and a decent production design, and it also has a decent (meaning short) running time.

Ahsoka has a great rollout, but a cranky, basically stumbling finale, in which several crucial things don't make much sense or are not explained, and those expecting an epic ending in the style of Episode 3 will be very disappointed. The opening has high ambitions. It has an excellent atmosphere and honours some of the traditions of the older Star Wars. Likewise, the fights are decently filmed. However, from the halfway point on, it's a stereotypical rehash without any invention or directorial initiative. Basically a weaker copy of the more entertaining The Mandalorian. The Hayden Christensen gimmick is not enough, although it is used solidly.

A grossly underdone finale with no proper denouement, no dramatic arc and not much suspense. Instead, we're served zombies, lots of magic that doesn't really belong in Star Wars, and it's crowned by the fact that most of the main characters make bizarre decisions that don't make much sense. The Jedi fights ring hollow and become monotonous over time.

Anakin rules. His return is well beyond expectations. Not only does he look great, but he hasn't forgotten how to swing a lightsaber. More than any other episode in the series, this is reminiscent of the fantastic Episode 3 in its unique charge.

The best episode so far, full of great shootouts, lightsaber duels and cut trees. Ray Stevenson is a charismatic bad guy.

A quite dark and atmospheric opening in the style of Rogue One and other modern Star Wars stories of recent times, which is a bit scented with the smell of Indiana Jones adventures with specific trademarks and artifacts. I appreciate the fact that they pull out almost all of the core characters right away, and even without knowing Rebels, it's been pretty fun so far.